Parenting

8 Tie Dye Kits To Keep The Fam Busy For At Least An Hour

by Steph Osmanski
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
How To Tie Dye Kits

Thanks to quarantine boredom, tie dye is having a serious moment. From tie dye fashions — just look at these rainbow Crocs — to do-it-yourself tie dyeing, everyone is all about the classic rainbow design. Kids, teens, moms — you name it.

Even if you’re not a handy-dandy DIY-er, just about anyone can tie dye. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and requires little to no skill. (Raise your hand if that sounds like you, Mom!) All you need are a few rubber bands, the colored dye or tie dye kit of your choice, and whichever textile you want to imprint with your unique tie dye patterns. You can each do your own colors and patterns or you can even attempt to create a mommy & me look.

RELATED: 11 Crazy Cool Tie Dye Patterns Your Kids Will Love

Don’t remember how to tie dye? We don’t blame you. It’s been a while since our tie dyeing camp days of the 90s, too. Let’s start with a quick tutorial on how to tie dye a t shirt.

How to Tie Dye a T-shirt:

There are a few different tie dye patterns you can do. The spiral, stripes, rosettes, and the crinkle tie dye pattern are some of the most popular. (If you don’t have a specific tie dye pattern in mind, just slap some rubber bands on that sh*t and see what happens!)

Mostly or all white t-shirts work best. Prep your dye colors based on the tie dye kit’s instructions. For a more faded look, you’ll need more water than dye, but the best part about tie dyeing is that it’s totally customizable. Prefer bright colors? More dye, less water. You can either dye your t shirt dry (this will result in more separated colors) or wet (soak it in a bowl of lukewarm water and soda ash solution) to further the tie dye pattern’s spread.

Tie as many rubber bands as you want on your t shirt. The more rubber bands, the more pattern. Add the dye as you see fit. Once your t shirt is dyed, wrap it in a plastic bag and leave it out in the sun for anywhere from three to five hours (if you forget it overnight, that’s fine, too).

Remove the rubber bands and rinse the t shirt in cold water until the bulk of the dye runs out. Then, throw the tie dyed item in the washing machine, using cold water, and either wash it alone or with other items from this batch. Ready to get started? Check out these tie dye kits and essentials!

Now that you’re a tie dyeing pro, check out more summer friendly kids’ toys!

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